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Loraine Alterman

Loraine Alterman

Loraine Alterman began writing about rock for the Detroit Free Press in 1965 as their teen columnist. While there she was also a stringer for Billboard. She returned to New York after a Detroit newspaper strike in 1967 to edit GO Magazine and R’n B World, weeklies distributed free by radio stations across the U.S.

In 1969 she left to freelance and then was NY editor of Rolling Stone while its main offices were still in San Francisco. She also freelanced for numerous publications including The New York Times, Record World, Family Weekly and was NY correspondent for Melody Maker. She left rock writing behind when she met and married actor Peter Boyle. John Lennon was best man at their wedding. She has two daughters, Lucy and Amy.

Since Peter's death from multiple myeloma in 2006, she is on the board of the International Myeloma Foundation and every year has produced the IMF Comedy Celebrations to benefit the Peter Boyle Research Fund. So far they’ve raised almost $9million from these events  to find a cure for this deadly bone marrow cancer.  She also became a Broadway producer on the Tony-winning Memphis in 2010 and since has co-produced such hits as Beautiful: The Carole King Show, It's Only A Play and currently Ain’t Too Proud: The Life & Times of the Temptations.

Loraine Alterman Boyle lives in New York City.

156 articles

List of articles in the library

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The Rolling Stones: The Girls Waited 8 Hours, Finally Met the Stones!

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 December 1965

NOBODY'S GOING to get Valerie Stewart, 14, or Patricia Curtis, 13, off their clouds. The guys who put them up on cloud 9 are the ...

The Byrds: Those Byrds Flew In For a Gig — You Dig?

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 10 December 1965

THE BYRDS was here. Between an appearance in Saginaw Monday and one in Cleveland Wednesday, the California-based singers dashed into Detroit to tape numbers for ...

The Dave Clark Five: Let's Be 'Glad All Over' With the Dave Clark Five

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 December 1965

AT LEAST 150 high school journalists were "glad all over" last Friday night. WKNR invited them to question the Dave Clark Five at a press ...

Simon & Garfunkel: Both the Hair and Names Are Real

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 4 February 1966

WHEN I FIRST heard the names Simon and Garfunkel, I laughed. Those names sounded too funny to be real. But they are. ...

Our Nancy's Life Abroad — with Those British Pop Stars

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 13 February 1966

The telegram came from Interpop. It read "ARRIVING IN DETROIT FROM LONDON ON PANAM FLIGHT 57 TUESDAY 3:20 PM IS YOUNG LADY OF POSSIBLE INTEREST ...

Sonny & Cher: A Local Boy Makes Good: Sonny (of Sonny and Cher)

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 18 February 1966

WHEN SONNY and Cher come to Detroit for their performance at the Masonic Auditorium Sunday, Sonny will be returning to his hometown. ...

Paul Butterfield Blues Band: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Closest Thing to Blues This Side of Chicago

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 29 April 1966

THE PAUL Butterfield Blues Band is tearing audiences apart at The Living End with some of the grooviest sounds I've ever heard. The club is ...

The Lovin' Spoonful: Lovin' Spoonful: Simply Wild

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 13 May 1966

WHAT ARE John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone? A barbershop quartet? Not with their long hair. They're The Lovin' Spoonful, who are ...

Edwin Starr: A Record Is Made — with Sweat and Soul

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 20 May 1966

EMOTION FILLED the control room at Golden World Records out on West Davison. Driving, big beat sounds were coming through the four speakers hanging on ...

Len Barry, Bobby Goldsboro, The McCoys, The Outsiders, Gene Pitney, Norma Tanega: Top Recording Stars Tell How Sweet It Is!

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 27 May 1966

GENE PITNEY came to town last Sunday night with some of the hottest recording stars in the business to put on a show at Ford ...

Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs: Sam Is Just a Sham With Earring and Beard

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 10 June 1966

YOU SEE a guy with a thick beard, long curly hair, a gold earring on his right ear, and a poet-sleeved bandanna print shirt and ...

MC5: All-Night Graduation Party

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 24 June 1966

DO THE graduating seniors at Lincoln Park High spend graduation night carousing at wild private parties? Not since 1964, when a group of parents under ...

Johnny Rivers, Singin' Man

Profile by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 28 June 1966

THOSE BLUES sounds spilling off the stage at the Club Gay Haven currently come from that 'Secret Agent Man' himself, Johnny Rivers. ...

The Rolling Stones: Stones Really Nice Guys

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 15 July 1966

They Just Hate Stupidity ...

Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention: The Mothers of Invention: If You Get A Headache…

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 15 July 1966

MOTHERS AND fathers, you thought the Beatles were bad. You got up in arms about the Rolling Stones. Sonny and Cher made you cringe. Well, ...

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels: A Rocket on the Road to Fame: Mitch and His Four Wheels

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 7 August 1966

THE MONSTER eight-door white Pontiac, looking more like an ambulance than a limousine for stars, stopped in places like Arnold's Park, Iowa; Freemont, Neb.; Sioux ...

The Beatles: Four Smiling, Tired Guys Talk About Their Music

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 19 August 1966

THEY'RE REAL. The Beatles, that is. I had never seen them in the flesh before, so I expected some kind of supermen to step out ...

The Yardbirds: Yardbirds Are Alive; They Click; They Have Fun

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 22 August 1966

MENTION THE Yardbirds to a musician and he'll give them mountains of praise. Listen to a Yardbirds' album like the current one Over, Under, Sideways, ...

Dionne Warwick And How They Discovered Her

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 September 1966

GIRL SINGER AT THE TOP ...

The Rationals: 'Respect' Makes a Hit for Ann Arbor Quartet

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 9 September 1966

PUT TOGETHER an Otis Redding tune, 'Respect', and four talented guys from Ann Arbor called The Rationals and you've got a big hit record. So ...

Bob Seger & the Last Heard: Coming Up — 'Persecution Smith'

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 September 1966

WHAT'S 'EAST Side Story' about? Ask Bob Seger, 21, from Ann Arbor — he's the guy who wrote it and sings it. ...

Lou Christie: The Sound Is Lou's — It's a Hit

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 September 1966

DOES LUGEE Gino Sarco make hit records? You bet — that's the real name of Lou Christie, who popped into Detroit recently. ...

Janis Ian, Jimmy Ruffin, The Supremes: Who Else but the Supremes Would Pedal a Rickshaw?

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 September 1966

IMAGINE DIANA Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard in Taipei, pedalling rickshaws and letting the regular drivers ride in the seat. Picture Mary falling off ...

The Four Seasons: Celebrities In Detroit: The Four Seasons

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 9 October 1966

THE FOUR Seasons — Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tom DeVito, Joe Long — don't have long hair. (Frankie: "We won't grow our hair over our ...

Lorraine Ellison: Big Sound With Soul

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 14 October 1966

NO ONE IS happier that Frank Sinatra married Mia Farrow than Lorraine Ellison. Lorraine's current single, 'Stay With Me', has its big, big sound because ...

Smokey Robinson, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Other Smokey Robinson — Songwriter

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 14 October 1966

BACK IN 1957 Bill "Smokey" Robinson, then 17, bumped into Berry Gordy Jr. Smokey had a stack of about 100 songs he had written, and ...

That Queen of "Soul" Martha Jean

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 23 October 1966

LORAINE ALTERMAN'S DJ OF THE WEEK ...

Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush: Tom Rush Tells Why He's Now Electrified!

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 11 November 1966

ONCE UPON a time folk singers looked at electric guitars and top 40 radio in horror. Then several years back the big hero of the ...

Terry Knight & the Pack: Flint's Terry Knight and His Pack: "There's More There Than Hair"

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 13 November 1966

PRESENTING Terry Knight — long hair worn Prince Valiant style, mod clothes, no tie, much less a tie-tack. Immediately, 99 per cent of the adult ...

The Youngbloods: Story of Grizzly Bear

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 18 November 1966

TOO OFTEN I'm turned off by new groups on promotion tours to get their first single played. Many times they let the fact that a ...

Bobby Hebb, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, The Yardbirds: Sam, Yardbirds, Cousins — Great Mixture

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 25 November 1966

WHERE COULD you see more long hair, pant suits, miniskirts, and Beatle caps per square foot than any place else in Detroit last weekend? Where ...

Jimmy Ruffin Talks on England

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 23 December 1966

TAKING TIME off from rehearsing for Friday's big Motown Revue at the Fox Theatre, Jimmy Ruffin stopped by to say hello the other day. Jimmy ...

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels: Mitch Ryder Quits Wheels To Start Brand New Show

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 December 1966

WATCH OUT, world, here comes the brand new Mitch Ryder Show. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels are no more. Instead Mitch will be socking ...

The Association, Bobby Darin, The Kinks, The Lovin' Spoonful, Arthur Prysock, Paul Revere & The Raiders: Loraine Alterman on Records

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 1 January 1967

Face to Face With the Kinks' Pop Satire ...

James Cotton: Blues Is Big At Chess Mate

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 6 January 1967

Loraine Alterman looks forward to a Detroit appearance by bluesman James Cotton. ...

The Four Tops, The Who: Nancy and The Who Making It Big

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 6 January 1967

AT THE RIPE old age of 23, Nancy Lewis isn't exactly a teenager. But Detroiter Nancy is swimming right in the middle of all the ...

The Monkees: Olympia Stadium, Detroit MI

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 15 January 1967

Monkees Swing into City And Put Teens in Frenzy ...

The Monkees: Monkees a Target on Stage — 'Please Don't Throw Things'

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 20 January 1967

SCREAMING. Jumping up on seats. Flashbulbs popping and then whizzing by onto the stage. Sobbing and hysteria. Police dragging kicking, clawing insanely crying girls out. ...

The Monkees: Their Buddy Tells You About the Real Monkees

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 20 January 1967

FOG DELAYED the plane carrying Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davey Jones and Micky Dolenz to Detroit last Saturday. So the Monkees arrived only an hour ...

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels: Mitch Ryder: University of Detroit

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 27 January 1967

It's All Mitch Ryder — Straight to the Top ...

Maxine Brown, The Buena Vistas, Chuck Jackson, Jefferson Airplane, The Kingsmen, Terry Knight & the Pack, Love, Peter and Gordon, Lou Rawls, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Bob Seger, Dionne Warwick: Loraine Alterman on Records: The Fascinating Sounds Of a Group Called Love

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 29 January 1967

THE TREMENDOUSLY talented West Coast group called Love still hasn't made it into the bright spotlight of fame like the Beach Boys or the Lovin' ...

The Beach Boys: How Beach Boys Took England

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 10 February 1967

I TALKED ON the phone with Mike Love of the Beach Boys last week. Mike was in Los Angeles getting ready for the group's upcoming ...

Donna Lynn, MC5, The Outsiders: The MC-5: 'More Like One Big Musician'

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 February 1967

SOME PEOPLE call it psychedelic. The MC-5 call it the "new music". They should know, for they are the leading exponents of the far-out sounds ...

The Beach Boys, Keith, the Electric Prunes, the Left Banke: Masonic Auditorium, Detroit MI

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 21 February 1967

Played to Packed House — The Beach Boys Concert: It Was a Crowd-Pleaser ...

Donovan, Eddie Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Jimmy Ruffin, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, Spencer Davis Group, The Stone Poneys, Spyder Turner: New albums from Donovan, Jefferson Airplane, more

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 26 February 1967

MELLOW YELLOW The Provocative Donovan ...

The Four Tops: Drop the Tops in Britain — And the Crowds Go Wild

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 March 1967

WHAT DO you get when you mix the Motor City's Four Tops with the British public? A whole lot of love flowing both ways. ...

Sopwith Camel: Frisco's Sopwith Camel — Watch That 'Big Toe'

Profile by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 10 March 1967

OUT OF SAN Francisco — where weirdly named groups like Lothar and the Hand People and The Grateful Dead are happening — comes a delightfully ...

Stevie Wonder

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 March 1967

I CAUGHT UP with Stevie Wonder who's constantly on the run performing all over the country. A private tutor travels with him so Stevie keeps ...

Brenda Lee, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs: On the Pop Scene in Detroit: Brenda Lee

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 24 March 1967

BRENDA LEE, who at age 22 has been in show business for a dozen years, is in town at the Roostertail where there'll be a ...

The Dave Clark Five: Why the Dave Clark Five is So Great

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 24 March 1967

TED LUCAS of the Spike Drivers once said, "In a pop world publicity becomes real." The Dave Clark Five's publicity releases represent them as one ...

Chet Atkins, Janis Ian, The Lovin' Spoonful, Sonny & Cher: Loraine Alterman on Records: Janis Ian, Sonny & Cher, Chet Atkins, Lovin' Spoonful

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 26 March 1967

Janis Ian: She's Hip at 15 ...

Cream, Aretha Franklin, Harpers Bizarre, The Marvelettes, Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, The Who, The Yardbirds: Loraine Alterman On Records: England's Exciting New Flavor: Fresh Cream

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 23 April 1967

TO REACH Mecca in pop music means finding your own sound. Very few make it. Most groups fall down somewhere along the way. ...

Nancy Sinatra: The Girl Beneath the Brassy Image

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 25 April 1967

'WHAT IF DAD HAD BEEN A DOCTOR?' ...

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich: Dave Dee Raps U.S. Censors

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 12 May 1967

I ALMOST WISH England's Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich hadn't changed their names a couple of years ago from Dave Dee and The ...

MC5: Our Hippies — What They Say and Do

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 19 May 1967

IN SAN Francisco a sight-seeing bus runs tours into the Haight-Ashbury district billing it as "the only foreign tour within the continental limits of the ...

Sam & Dave: We Started Bugaloo — Curtain Came Down

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 19 May 1967

SUPER EXCITEMENT on stage. That's what Sam and Dave generate. In fact the two work so hard that by the end of a set their ...

James Brown: Cobo Arena, Detroit MI

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 23 May 1967

Brown Had The Crowds In His Hand ...

Elvis Presley: Easy Come, Easy Go (Dir. John Rich, Paramount Pictures)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 26 May 1967

Nothing But Plenty Of Elvis ...

Hippy Ideas That Shock Parents

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 26 May 1967

LAST WEEK on this page I reported on the teen-age hippies in the Detroit area, on where they hung out, what they looked like, and ...

Chuck Jackson: What It's Like When Chuck Jackson Records

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 26 May 1967

WATCHING CHUCK Jackson record is a gas! He's so creative and professional that he can listen once or twice to the band track and then ...

The Animals, Maxine Brown, Eric Burdon, Country Joe & The Fish, The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Hollies, Chuck Jackson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: New Albums from the Doors, Country Joe & the Fish et al

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 28 May 1967

The Doors: A Fascinating New West Coast Sound ...

Lou Rawls: Suddenly in the Big Time: Lou Rawls' Exciting Year

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 May 1967

ASK LOU Rawls, who performed to a full house at Masonic Auditorium Sunday night, to tell you the most exciting point in his career and ...

The Who: Who? It's The Who, That's Who

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 16 June 1967

FIRST OUT the door of customs at Metro Airport Tuesday was a blond fellow in a paisley, mandarin-collared coat. A few moments later a shorter, ...

Sonny & Cher: Good Times (Dir. William Friedkin, Columbia Pictures)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 June 1967

Sonny and Cher's Film: Great Fun ...

Bob Seger: Detroit's Bob Seger and Heavy Music

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 June 1967

CALIFORNIA MAY be giving the world flower music, but Detroit's Bob Seger has created heavy music which promises to spark a lot of national excitement. ...

Jefferson Airplane, MC5, The Rationals: Jefferson Airplane, the Rationals, the MC5: Ford Auditorium, Detroit

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 July 1967

The Jefferson Airplane, Soaring on Pop Power ...

Jefferson Airplane, The Rolling Stones, The Who: The Jefferson Airplane Here

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 7 July 1967

"WE JUST played and let the music take us instead of us taking the music," said Marty Balin, lead singer of the Jefferson Airplane, talking ...

Janis Ian: 'Society's Child', And Why the Ban Is Being Lifted

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 14 July 1967

"Walk me down to school, baby Everybody's acting deaf and blind Until they turn and say 'Why don't you stick to your own ...

The Bee Gees in Detroit: "We're Planning a U.S. Tour"

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 21 July 1967

THEY'RE BUGGED BY THE DRUG SCENE ...

The Rationals: One of Detroit's Real 'In' Groups

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 21 July 1967

WHO DOES Mitch Ryder demand back him up when he does a special appearance in Detroit without his band? Who stole the show at the ...

The Supremes: Supremes' Flo Ballard: It's Said She's Leaving

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 1 August 1967

FLORENCE BALLARD of Diana Ross and The Supremes has temporarily asked to be withdrawn from the group, according to a spokesman for Motown Records. ...

Terry Knight & the Pack, Lulu, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, The Temptations, Tammi Terrell: Britain's Lulu Looks at America and the Hemlines

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 4 August 1967

TO US LULU is the name of a comic strip character, but to the British Lulu is the name of an adorable 18-year-old pop singer. ...

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Miracle They Call Smokey And How He Climbed from the Ghetto To the Top of His Musical World

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 6 August 1967

IN 1946 AT Dwyer Elementary School in Detroit, a six-year-old first-grader, wearing a pasted-on beard and white high-top shoes, played Uncle Remus in a school ...

Trini Lopez: "Made Up My Mind To Be a Success"

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 6 August 1967

THE SUN BEAT down on the poolside terrace at the Ponchartrain. Across the street on the marquee of Cobo Hall you could see the announcement ...

The Monkees: Olympia Stadium, Detroit MI

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 14 August 1967

12,000 SHRIEKERS Monkees' Show is a Happening ...

Van Morrison: Singer Van Morrison's Mind-Blowing Music Style

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 25 August 1967

VAN MORRISON, whose 'Brown-Eyed Girl' is a top ten record in town, isn't the easiest person to talk to. He prefers communicating through his music ...

Jimi Hendrix: The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Frantic — Yet Somehow Casual"

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 28 August 1967

NO EXAGGERATION: The Jimi Hendrix Experience is the most exciting act I have yet seen in pop music. ...

The Supremes: Roostertail, Detroit

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 August 1967

Cindy Birdsong, the New Supreme: A Detroit Debut ...

The Bee Gees, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Four Tops, Bobbie Gentry, The Kinks, Van Morrison, Otis Redding, Vanilla Fudge, Dionne Warwick: Loraine Alterman on Records: New Albums from Vanilla Fudge, Big Brother et al

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 September 1967

Vanilla Fudge: Exciting Album ...

Carla Thomas: A Lady in Show Business: Carla Thomas, the New Blues Queen

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 10 September 1967

SHE'S AN authority on 18th Century drama, a favorite among the GIs in Vietnam and has one of the most caressing voices on records. She's ...

The Merry-Go-Round: Merry-Go-Round: The "Older" Group

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 29 September 1967

THEY'VE NEVER played 'Louie Louie' or 'Twist 'n' Shout' in public and are proud of it. Instead they play their own material — which is ...

Cream, Donovan: Cream/Donovan: The Cream Set Records in Detroit

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, October 1967

LAST WEEKEND about 4,500 kids proved that Detroit knows good contemporary music. ...

Donovan, Hearts & Flowers, Jefferson Airplane, Mother Earth: The West Coast And Hippieland

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 6 October 1967

BACK FROM two weeks in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Back to Detroit where the man on the street still gets uptight seeing long-haired, bearded ...

Tim Buckley, Chad & Jeremy, John Mayall, The Righteous Brothers, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Sopwith Camel, Thorinshield: Loraine Alterman on Pop Records: A Powerful New Kind of 'Suite'

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 8 October 1967

TWO EXCELLENT new albums show how far the best contemporary song-writing and record making has come from the June-moon-spoon days. One is Of Cabbages and ...

Cream, Donovan, Janis Ian: Cream: Grande Ballroom; Donovan, Janis Ian: Masonic Auditorium, Detroit

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 October 1967

Reviews of Detroit's Big Pop Weekend ...

Carla Thomas: Touring Germany With Carla Thomas

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 November 1967

HAMBURG, W. Germany — Hot bright lights. Cameras dollying around. Makeup ladies running to dab powder on the performer's shiny nose. Directors, assistant directors, light ...

Chuck Berry, The Doors, Arlo Guthrie, Rod McKuen, Phil Ochs, Pink Floyd, Sam & Dave: Loraine Alterman on Pop Records: The Shattering Impact of the Doors

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 5 November 1967

THE DOORS, with Jim Morrison singing lead in his urgent, compelling voice, lead you into the strange world of their music after the freaky album ...

Bobby Darin: Hate to Ruin His Image, but He's Nice

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 13 November 1967

I REALLY hate to ruin anyone's reputation, but Bobby Darin just doesn't live up to his: During his years in show business, Bobby has often ...

Charles Aznavour: 'Life Is A Very Great Gamble'

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 14 November 1967

THE KNOWLEDGE THAT LOVE DIES ...

Charles Aznavour, Donovan: Donovan: "I Don't Need Drugs for Strength"

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 November 1967

PROPOSES BANNING ALL FALSE-GOD TRIPS ...

Strawberry Alarm Clock: 'Kids Think Funny Things

Profile and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 17 November 1967

'INCENSE AND Peppermints' conjures up pleasant visions to us all, but for the Strawberry Alarm Clock the visions spell success. ...

Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention: Frank Zappa: Head Mother Speaks

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Fifth Estate, 1 December 1967

HIS NAME has a certain zing to it. Zappa – a name you don't easily forget. Like the man, Frank Zappa, leader and creator of ...

The Beach Boys: The Maharishi, The Beach Boys and the Heathens

Report by Loraine Alterman, New York Magazine, 6 March 1968

"IN BALTIMORE last night in the middle of the Maharishi's talk, a kid got up and yelled 'Maharishi, you're full of it'." Beach Boy Bruce ...

Donovan: A Poet He Is, But The Messiah? Not Donovan

Report by Loraine Alterman, GO, 8 November 1968

GLASGOW'S GENTLEST son, Donovan, breezed into the Plaza Nine Room at New York's famous Plaza Hotel for a press conference. Wearing lavender trousers, a blue ...

Johnny Winter: The Apollo Theatre and the Fillmore East: Black and White Music in NYC

Comment by Loraine Alterman, New York Scenes, September 1969

MORE THAN Central Park and city blocks separate the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and the Fillmore East in the East Village. ...

Bonzo Dog Band: Bonzo Dog Runs, Fucks Itself

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 29 November 1969

NEW YORK — The Bonzo Dog Band, bitter over what they felt was shoddy treatment by their American record company, cut their second U.S. tour ...

Jimi Hendrix, The Voices of East Harlem: Hendrix's All-New Band of Gypsys: Fillmore East, New York NY

Live Review by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 7 February 1970

It's a new year, and a new thing for Jimi — as we saw at the Fillmore East ...

Won't Woodstock Ever End?

Report by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 7 February 1970

NEW YORK — "The picture is not as bad as it was," John Roberts, toothpaste heir head of the Woodstock Group (nee Ventures) says. "We've ...

Eddie Holland Is 300% Happier Now

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 2 April 1970

DETROIT — Edward Holland learned a lot at Motown besides how to make hit records. Edward Holland learned the art of the controlled interview, an ...

Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel: Paul Simon

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 28 May 1970

PAUL SIMON arrived wearing a blue loden coat with the hood pulled up. Beneath it he had on black trousers and a black shirt. He ...

Isaac Hayes: Isaac Hayes... To Be Continued

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 18 April 1971

The 'Black Moses' Should Move Ahead ...

Donny Hathaway: Donny Hathaway (Atco)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 1 August 1971

EVER SINCE Otis Redding's tragic death in 1967, record companies have been searching for the great black hope to fill his shoes. Whenever a new ...

Mountain Climbing

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971

THE AMERICAN media has been hammering into people's heads that the solo singer/guitarist/songwriter is "in" and loud, exuberant rock is "out." But, the media forgot ...

Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Boz Scaggs: Bill Graham: Mister Fillmore

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 27 May 1972

Loraine Alterman in New York previews Fillmore, the film about America's legendary rock centre... and talks to its star, super-impresario Bill Graham ...

The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Stephen Stills, Tom Rush: Stephen Stills, The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Tom Rush albums

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 10 September 1972

Stephen Stills: Manassas (Atlantic); The Impressions: Times Have Changed (Curtom); The Staple Singers: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (Stax); Tom Rush: Merrimack County (Columbia) ...

Carly Simon, David Ackles, The Doors, Judy Collins, Love, Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Elektra: The House That Jac Built

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972

The story of Elektra, one of rock's most influential labels. As told to Loraine Alterman by founder JAC HOLZMAN ...

Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen: Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers Favorites (Paramount)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 15 October 1972

Truckin' the Blues Away ...

Raspberries are Blowing

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 21 October 1972

LORAINE ALTERMAN talks to the group that's bringing 'smartness' back to rock ...

Bobby Womack: Understanding (United Artists)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 22 October 1972

ALTHOUGH HE'S one of the most respected rhythm 'n' blues guitarist/songwriters, Bobby Womack hasn't yet hit the big time the way an Isaac Hayes or ...

T. Rex: The Slider (Reprise)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 22 October 1972

AT LEAST every other week another group appears that's hailed by its publicists as the biggest thing since the Beatles. in the case of T. ...

Bonnie Raitt: Give It Up (Warner Bros.)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 10 December 1972

Bonnie Branches Out ...

The Persuasions: Spread The Word (Capitol)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 10 December 1972

GHETTO KIDS don't have parents who can spare a few hundred dollars for an electric guitar like their suburban counterparts. But they do possess an ...

Grand Funk Railroad: Grand Funk's Thin Din

Comment by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 24 December 1972

THEY'RE too loud. Their playing is mediocre. They can't sing – all war cries for a cobweb-brained establishment confronted with rock-music it can't understand. ...

Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Johnny Nash, Paul Simon: It's Here — Reggae Rock

Overview by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 4 February 1973

WHEN ANYONE mentions West Indian music, steel bands and calypso instantly echo in the mind, but Jamaica's most popular music is reggae (rhymes with old) ...

Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons: Gram Parsons: Parsons Knows...

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 7 April 1973

Gram Parsons, former member of the Byrds and Burritos and now the proud owner of a solo album, talks to Loraine Alterman in New York ...

Paul Simon: Here Comes Rhymin' Simon

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 12 May 1973

MM EXCLUSIVE! Paul Simons — due to play British dates next month — talks to LORAINE ALTERMAN in New York ...

Carly Simon, Dory Previn, Mary Travers: Record World Forum: Three Artists on the New Consciousness

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Record World, 19 May 1973

Carly Simon, Dory Previn and Mary Travers are three major artists whose work and lives exemplify the independent role women are assuming in society. As ...

Donny Osmond, The Osmonds: Donny Osmond: Sometimes I Just Can't Believe We're on Top!

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Family Weekly, 20 May 1973

"We finally decided to go with me as a solo. There's no jealousy in the family about the decision. If I sing a solo record, ...

Edgar Winter: How Winter Went Glam and Created A Frankenstein Monster

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973

EDGAR WINTER, his wife and his band live in a 13-bedroom white clapboard mansion at Sands Point, overlooking Long Island Sound. 30,000 dollars a year ...

Carole King, Melissa Manchester: Carole King: Fantasy (Ode); Melissa Manchester: Home To Myself (Bell)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 15 July 1973

A Bland Carole King ...

Jethro Tull: Can 72,000 Fans Be Wrong?

Report by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 4 August 1973

I DON'T KNOW how it is in England, but in this country the minute you get too big, too powerful, people start gunning for you. ...

Harry Nilsson, Joel Grey: Harry Nilsson: A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night (RCA); Joel Grey: Joel Grey Live! (Columbia)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 5 August 1973

Harry? He's Lost in the Woodwinds ...

Jo Jo Gunne: Go For The Gunne

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973

THE FIRST word out about Jo Jo Gunne raved about their looks – "gorgeous" said those into masculine beauty. An emphasis on appearance always makes ...

Judy Collins: Judy In Disguise

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973

Judy Collins film director? The singer – songwriter has taken a year out of her life to make a movie with a strong Womens' Lib ...

Art Garfunkel: Angel Clare (Columbia)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 9 September 1973

Garfunkel On His Own ...

Lillian Roxon, Journalist-Author Of Rock Encyclopedia Dies at 41

Obituary by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 13 September 1973

NEW YORK — Lillian Roxon, author of the Rock Encyclopedia, was many things to many people. ...

John Lennon, Yoko Ono: Yoko: How I Rescued John from Chauvinism

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 22 September 1973

DATELINE NEW YORK: A rare interview with a much maligned singer with a fine new album... ...

The Rolling Stones: Goats Head Soup (Rolling Stones Records COC 59101)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 23 September 1973

The Stones In the Soup ...

Doug Sahm: Arise, Sir Douglas is Blowing Up A Storm

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 6 October 1973

THE FUNKY SOUNDS of 'Texas Tornado', Doug Sahm's latest single, blasted out of the stereo in the office of Atlantic Records' co-ordinator of A&R, Mark ...

The Band: Band Of Gold

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973

EVEN THOUGH everyone involved is tremendously excited about the Band/Dylan tour (reported on page one), 1973 still has some time left and The Band have ...

Bette Midler, Yoko Ono: Bette Midler: Bette Midler (Atlantic); Yoko Ono: Feeling The Space (Apple)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 4 November 1973

No Torches for Bette and Yoko ...

Wings: Band On The Run (Apple)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 2 December 1973

Paul's Grooves Will Grab You ...

Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (Asylum)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 6 January 1974

Joni's Songs Are For Everyone  ...

Bob Dylan: Planet Waves (Asylum)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 20 January 1974

Dylan Is His Own Dilemma ...

Carly Simon: "I Don't Enjoy Performing"

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Modern Hi-Fi and Music, February 1974

NOW THAT she and her husband James Taylor are parents, Carly Simon has no plans to perform except on vinyl. And with her fourth album ...

Foghat: Energized (Bearsville)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 10 February 1974

Pop: Foghat's Energy Zap ...

Fleetwood Mac Flak: Manager Takes Name, Not Members, On Tour

Report by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 28 February 1974

And then there were none... ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Rick Laird: Why Mahavishnu Is Breaking Up

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 28 February 1974

NEW YORK — Rick Laird, former bassist with the now-scattered Mahavishnu Orchestra, said it was a case of too much ego and pride that finally ...

Graham Nash: Tales Behind Wild Tales

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 28 March 1974

NEW YORK – In the living room of a moss-green suite at the Plaza Hotel, Graham Nash sits at the piano with an harmonica braced ...

Rick Derringer, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter: Rick Derringer: The Irony of the Hootchie Koo

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 11 April 1974

NEW YORK — "I never expected 'Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo' to do so well commercially," said Rick Derringer, the single's writer as well as ...

Maggie Bell Wants to Sound Like Maggie

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 25 April 1974

NEW YORK — "Maggie Bell the Winner, Just the Beginning" read the banner slung across an enormous horseshoe of red carnations. The flowers were set ...

The Beatles, Marc Bolan, Ringo Starr: Ringo's Agenda: Movie, Music, But No Beatles

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 23 May 1974

LOS ANGELES — "No, it's not getting back together, I promise you, not this year, folks," said Ringo Starr, who should know whether "it," the ...

Rita Coolidge, Ry Cooder: Ry Cooder: Paradise & Lunch (Reprise); Rita Coolidge: Fall Into Spring (A&M)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 2 June 1974

Setting a Scene for Rock ...

Led Zeppelin: Swan Song Is a Beginning

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 20 June 1974

NEW YORK — "The name Led Zeppelin means a failure," explains lead singer Robert Plant, "and Swan Song means a last gasp — so why ...

Clive Davis Return: "I Love Music"

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 4 July 1974

AFTER A YEAR of speculation, former Columbia Records President Clive Davis, 41, announced that he has been writing a book about his Columbia years, and ...

Bette Midler, Bo Diddley, Carly Simon, Don McLean, Randy Newman: What Does It Feel Like to Create Today's Music?

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Family Weekly, 21 July 1974

"I guess there are some people who sit down and say, 'All right, I want to write a hit single. Let's see, what's a big item ...

Foghat: Their Business Is Rock & Roll

Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 29 August 1974

So you want to be a rock & roll star Well listen now to what I say Just get an electric guitar ...

Dory Previn: Dory Previn (Warner Bros.)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 8 September 1974

The Perceptive Songs Of Dory Previn ...

Lorraine Ellison, Tracy Nelson: Lorraine Ellison: Lorraine Ellison (Warner Bros.); Tracy Nelson: Tracy Nelson (Atlantic)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 15 September 1974

A Rising Star Needs a Setting ...

Judy Collins: Teacher's Pet

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 26 September 1974

NEW YORK — Judy Collins, blue eyes bright with enthusiasm, is sitting in her sunswept Upper West Side apartment, talking about the film she has ...

John Sebastian, Randy Newman: Randy Newman: Good Old Boys (Reprise); John Sebastian: Tarzana Kid (Reprise)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 6 October 1974

The Songwriter Sings ...

Dory Previn's Songs: Many Sides Now

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Rolling Stone, 21 November 1974

LOS ANGELES — Forget about her fear of flying. It's still easy to understand why Dory Previn is reluctant to travel from her comfortable home ...

Aretha Franklin: With Everything I Feel In Me (Atlantic)

Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 24 November 1974

Aretha, You're the Top ...

John Lennon Talks About Music, Money, Marriage, and Fame

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Viva, March 1975

ONE OF JOHN Lennon's friends, Elton John, spends $5,000 for a pair of sunglasses and buys his manager a yacht for a birthday present. Another ...

Dory Previn: Remembering Dory Previn

Memoir by Loraine Alterman, Rock's Backpages, February 2012

MY DEAR FRIEND of nearly 40 years, Dory Previn, died last week. She was a great songwriter who exposed her deep feelings about love ...

Miriam Bienstock: The First Lady of Atlantic

Memoir by Loraine Alterman, Rock's Backpages, April 2014

FOR MONTHS I had noticed an immaculately coiffed and beautifully dressed older woman at my manicure place on Manhattan's Upper East Side.   ...

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